1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc driving apparatus, and more particularly to an optical disc driving apparatus to be installed in an automotive vehicle, and adapted to drive an optical disc such as for example a compact disc and a digital versatile disc while reading out information contained in the optical disc.
2. Description of the Related Art
Up until now, there have been provided a wide variety of optical disc driving apparatus of this type one typical example of which is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open Publication No. 2000-163840 and shown in FIG. 45.
The conventional optical disc driving apparatus 300 is shown in FIG. 45 as comprising a housing 301 formed with a loading slot having passed therethrough an optical disc “A” having an outer peripheral surface, a base plate 313 disposed in the vicinity of the loading slot of the housing 301, and an operation member 320 slidably supported by the base plate 313. The base plate 313 has formed therein first and second slots 313a and 313b respectively having a longitudinal central lines parallel to each other, while the operation member 320 is formed with first and second pins 320a and 320b to be slidable received by the first and second slots 313a and 313b of the base plate 313.
The housing 301 has a disc path on which the optical disc moves into and out of the housing 301, while the disc path extends inwardly from the loading slot of the housing 301 under the condition that the disc path is in parallel relationship with the longitudinal central line of the loading slot of the housing 301. The operation member 320 has a longitudinal end portion formed with a pin member 322 extending toward the disc path. The pin member 322 is movable between operational positions while being held in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the optical disc partially passed into the housing 301.
The conventional optical disc driving apparatus 300 further comprises urging member 321 for urging the longitudinal end portion of the operation member 320 toward the center plane of the housing 101. The operation member 320 has a hock portion held in engagement with one of end portions of the urging member 321, while the base plate 313 has a hock portion held in engagement with the other of the end portions of the urging member 321.
The conventional optical disc driving apparatus 300 further comprises first and second optical sensors 360 and 361 each for performing a detection of the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301. The first and second optical sensors 360 and 361 are, as shown in FIG. 46, spaced apart from each other, and each disposed in the vicinity of the loading slot of the housing 301.
The first optical sensor 360 includes a light source 360a for projecting a light on a light path toward the disc path, and a light receiver 360b disposed on the light path of the light source 360a, and adapted to receive the projected light from the light source 360a through the disc path. The light receiver 360b is adapted to assume two different operational state consisting of a first operational state to receive the projected light from the light source 360a, and a second operational state to fail to receive the projected light from the light source 360a. 
The first optical sensor 360 is adapted to produce a first signal indicative of the first operational state of the light receiver 360b thereof when the projected light is received by the light receiver 360b thereof without being intercepted by the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301. On the other hand, the first optical sensor 360 is adapted to produce a second signal indicative of the second operational state of the light receiver 360b thereof when the projected light is intercepted by the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301 without being received by the light receiver 360b thereof.
In a similar fashion, the second optical sensor 361 includes a light source 361a for projecting a light on a light path toward the disc path, and a light receiver 361b disposed on the light path of the light source 361a, and adapted to receive the projected light from the light source 361a through the disc path. The light receiver 361b is adapted to assume two different operational state consisting of a first operational state to receive the projected light from the light source 361a, and a second operational state to fail to receive the projected light from the light source 361a in response to the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301.
The second optical sensor 361 is adapted to produce a first signal indicative of the first operational state of the light receiver 361b thereof when the projected light is received by the light receiver 361b thereof without being intercepted by the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301. On the other hand, the second optical sensor 361 is adapted to produce a second signal indicative of the second operational state of the light receiver 361b thereof when the projected light is intercepted by the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301 without being received by the light receiver 361b thereof.
In the operation of the conventional optical disc driving apparatus 300 thus constructed as previously mentioned, the lights respectively projected by the light sources 360b to 362b of the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362 are firstly respectively received by the light receivers 360a to 362a in association with the light sources 360b to 362b of the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362 when the optical disc “A” is not inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 of the optical disc driving apparatus 300. The first signals “Lo” indicative of the first operational state of the light receivers 360a to 362a of the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362 are respectively produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362 when the optical disc “A” is not inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 of the optical disc driving apparatus 300.
When the optical disc “A” is partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301 of the optical disc driving apparatus 300, the light projected by the light source 361b of the second optical sensor 361 is intercepted by the outer peripheral portion of the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301 without being received by the light receiver 361a of the second optical sensor 361. On the other hand, the lights respectively projected by the light sources 360b and 362b of the first and third optical sensors 360 and 362 are respectively received by the light receivers 360a and 362a of the first and third optical sensors 360 and 362 without being intercepted by the outer peripheral portion of the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301.
The judgment is firstly made as the optical disc “A” is moved to the position “A2” based on results produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 and 362. The conveying means 306 is operated to perform the conveyance of the optical disc in such a manner that the optical disc “A” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301 is moved in the loading direction 13 along the disc path while being held in contact with a surface of a roller member 365 of the conveying means 306.
When the optical disc “A” is further moved in the loading direction 13 along the disc path (see FIG. 47), the lights projected by the light sources 360b to 362b of the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362 are intercepted by the outer peripheral portion of the optical disc “A” further moved in the loading direction 13 along the disc path without being received by the light receivers 360a to 362a of the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362. The second signals “Hi” indicative of the second operational state of the light receivers 360a to 362a of the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362 are respectively produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362. The judgment is made as the optical disc “A” is moved to the position “A3” based on results produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 to 362.
The pin member 322 of the second detecting means 303 is moved toward one of the operational positions of the operation member 320 from the other of the operational positions of the operation member 320 while being held in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the optical disc “A” to be further moved in the loading direction 13 toward the position “A4” from the position “A3”.
If one of partially overlapped two optical discs “A and B” are moved into the loading slot of the housing 301 of the optical disc driving apparatus 300, the light projected by the light source 361b of the second optical sensor 361 is intercepted by the outer peripheral portion of one of the optical discs “A and B” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301 without being received by the light receiver 361a of the second optical sensor 361. On the other hand, the lights respectively projected by the light sources 360b and 362b of the first and third optical sensors 360 and 362 are respectively received by the light receivers 360a and 362a of the first and third optical sensors 360 and 362 without being intercepted by the outer peripheral portion of one of the optical discs “A and B” partially passed through the loading slot of the housing 301.
The judgment is firstly made as the optical disc “A” is partially inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 based on results produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 and 362. The conveying means 306 is operated to perform the conveyance of the optical disc in such a maimer that the optical disc “A” partially inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 is moved in the loading direction 13 along the disc path.
When the optical discs “A and B” partially overlapped with each other are further moved in the loading direction 13 along the disc path (see FIG. 48), the lights projected by the light sources 361b and 362b of the second to third optical sensors 361 and 362 are intercepted by the optical discs “A and B” partially overlapped with each without being received by the light receivers 361a to 362a of the second to third optical sensors 361 to 362. On the other hand, the lights projected by the light source 360b of the first optical sensor 360 is received by the light receiver 360a of the first optical sensor 360 after being intercepted by one of the optical discs “A and B” partially overlapped with each. The lights projected by the light source 360b of the first optical sensor 360 is intercepted by the other of the optical discs “A and B” partially overlapped with each after being received by the light receiver 360a of the first optical sensor 360.
The judgment is firstly made whether or not one optical disc “A” or two optical discs “A and B” are inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 based on results produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 and 362. The conveying means 306 is operated to perform the conveyance of the optical disc in such a manner that the optical disc “A” partially inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 is moved in the loading direction 13 along the disc path. If the judgment is made as the optical discs “A and B” are inserted into the loading slot of the housing 301 based on results produced by the first to third optical sensors 360 and 362, the conveying means 306 is operated to perform the conveyance of the optical disc in such a manner that the optical discs “A and B” partially overlapped with each other are move out of the loading direction 13 along the disc path.
The conventional optical disc driving apparatus constructed as previously mentioned, however, encounters such a problem that almost overlapped and entirely overlapped optical discs “A and B” tends to be moved into the housing without being interrupted the optical discs “A and B” almost overlapped with each other are inserted into the loading slot of the housing.